This invention relates to automotive display panels, and, more particularly, to an improved vehicle information panel for use in automotive dashboards.
Various types of vehicle information panels have been developed for the purpose of meeting customer demands with respect to styling and visibility. Automotive display panels in dashboards also need to be made from a combination of materials that are able to survive automotive quality control requirements at affordable pricing.
In connection with styling, known automotive display panels do not provide an aesthetically striking appearance. Instead, the appearances for many of the existing automotive display panels are lacking in aesthetic appeal. It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a more aesthetically attractive panel while improving the visibility of the information displayed.
Automotive display panels are currently decorated for day and night displays. The decoration typically includes a black background with information printed on the black background in a desired color, typically white. The decoration on the panel may include other colors that are different from the daytime white such that the panel information is visible at night as a result of lighting.
Other known automotive display panels have deficiencies, such as cost. There has been a need for alternative automotive display panels to satisfy styling and quality control requirements at competitive pricing.
While various types of automotive display panels have been developed with a view to meet demands of vehicle users, these attempts have not produced satisfactory results. For example, one approach involves fluorescent or pigmented inks that are applied to the indicating portions of the display, such as patterns and characters. The fluorescent material then radiates light with a specific color in response to illumination of light on the display. Nevertheless, these prior techniques do not produce satisfactory results because the indicating portions lose sharpness under certain conditions. Further, these known automotive displays fail to meet the vehicle users"" demands for styling, especially in high-end vehicles.
In other areas, such as marketing, displays have been designed to increase the appeal of the products and to make the products more attractive to potential purchasers. For example, fanciful displays and designs have been used on cards, packaging materials, labels and the like to enhance the appeal of these products. A large number of techniques exist for forming desired designs on a panel substrate. One of these techniques, printing, has been used to deposit a large number of small, closely spaced colored dots onto the substrate. The desired image is formed on the substrate by depositing the dots in a predetermined pattern. It has also been recognized that printed displays can be enhanced by depositing a thick layer of colored material on the substrate. Nevertheless, these known techniques in marketing suffer the same disadvantages and drawbacks that have existed in automotive display panels.
Since, in the automotive industry, automobile stylists and designers are continually seeking ways for differentiating a vehicle""s appearance, it is an object of the present invention to provide an automotive display panel which is different in styling from existing designs. Moreover, it is an object of the present invention to avoid the aforementioned disadvantages and problems associated with existing automotive display panels.
In accordance with this invention, a display for automotive instrumentation is provided which satisfies styling and quality control requirements at competitive pricing.
The present automotive display panel has a metallic appearance even though the primary substrate is a plastic material. The process for making the automotive display panel begins with a plastic sheet stock. A color-tinted metallic or holographic film is deposited on the base plastic sheet. This metallic layer is applied with certain indicia, such as tick marks and digits reversed out. A layer of neutral density ink is then applied on the metallic layer to provide the indicia with a predetermined appearance. Thereafter, a chrome layer may be applied to the plastic sheet by using a process such as heat transfer or lamination.
After adding the chrome layer, the display will have a mirror appearance on any area where the chrome has been applied. It is desirable to provide a metallic appearance to the display with a xe2x80x9cstar burstxe2x80x9d effect at selected areas on the display. This effect is generated by depositing finely configured lines in clear or color-tinted transparent ink. These configured lines include concentric circles, radial lines, herringbone designs or combinations of various configured lines. The depositing of very fine configured lines creates a glistening effect that is aesthetically appealing to the vehicle operator. Further, the automotive display meets the demands of vehicle users from a visibility perspective.
Another step in the formation of the automotive display panel includes creating a three-dimensional appearance. One technique for accomplishing this appearance is to emboss or form any desired area on the display to create the desired three-dimensional appearance. Finally, the last step of the manufacturing process for the automotive display involves cutting the display into its final desired shape.
In accordance with the present invention, the colors, flat metallic appearance and indicia, such as digits, are applied to the stock material by screen-printing. Silver, gold, color-tinted chrome finish and holographic finish are formed by depositing metallic or holographic film on the base stock sheet by either heat stamping or lamination. Silver, gold or tinted chrome finish can also be obtained using a metallic-based ink that is applied in the same way as other screen printing inks. As set forth previously, the xe2x80x9cstar burstxe2x80x9d effect is created by depositing very fine configured lines in clear or color-tinted ink.
The present invention provides an automotive display panel with a metallic appearance using a plastic substrate material. The display panel is backlit for illuminating the information on the display panel, particularly at nighttime. If the display panel was made of metal, having a metallic appearance that appeals to vehicle users, the panel would have to be front-lit and would not be as effective because of the glare generated by the brushed metal surface. Thus, the present invention avoids the problems associated with using a metal automobile display panel while at the same time reducing weight and cost.